TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - At least 100 national figures from various elements alleged that President Joko Widodo or Jokowi abused his power during the 2024 general elections. They believed that he had played a fundamental role in supporting the presidential and vice presidential candidate pair number 2, Prabowo and Gibran Rakabuming Raka, by using his position as the nation's leader.

The figures made this statement during a press conference on Wednesday, February 21, at the Sultan Hotel, Jakarta, following the gathering of the figures coordinated by Din Syamsuddin, the chairman of the country’s largest Islamic organization Muhammadiyah.

Economic expert Didin S Damanhuri, who was among the figures, said that the president’s abuse of power was evident in the mobilization of the Indonesian Military (TNI) soldiers, the National Police personnel, ministry/agency heads, and village heads. This was exercised by distributing social assistance across the archipelago, where the state officials vulgarly ordered support for the Prabowo-Gibran pair.

Didin also claimed that the president committed structured, systematic, and massive electoral fraud that was planned since the onset of the election period. “[Particularly since] the KPU (General Election Commission) allowed Jokowi's son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, to be a vice presidential candidate,” Didin said.

Jokowi has also been accused of mobilizing survey institutions ahead of the voting, by funding them through the CSR funds of SOEs. “Pollsters manipulated the surveys through their sampling method, in which respondents were prepared in certain areas,” he added.

Retired Major General Soenarko, former Army Special Forces (Kopassus) commander, insisted that Jokowi must be forced to resign from his position. “He can’t be ordered [to step down], he must be impeached. I am ready to be given any task by Pak Din Syamsuddin,” said Soenarko.

Other figures attending the press conference included former minister of religion affairs Fachrur Razi, former chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Abraham Samad, and University of Indonesia (UI) professor Lukman Hakim.

DINA RIANTI

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